25 Best Places to Visit in North Carolina — Including a Scenic Parkway, Buzzy Cities, and the Most-visited National Park

These are our top picks for your next trip to the Tar Heel State.

Read on for even more inspiration for picking the best destinations for your North Carolina vacation.

How the horses got to this remote island accessible only by boat centuries ago is still a mystery.

Chimney Rock State Park in Southwest North Carolina

Credit:John Hudson Photography/Getty Images

Couples can book a romantic cabin getaway at thePisgah Highlandscomplex, which has many chic and remote cabins.

you might peruse historic architecture, galleries, and working artists studios in several art districts.

Solo travelers here can count on a lively scene at any time of year.

Aerial view of the Biltmore Estate

Courtesy of Visit NC

Charlotte

Kruck20Getty Images

The largest city in the state, Charlotte truly has something for everyone.

It’s a big destination for business travelers witha great selection of hotelslike the luxuriousBallantyneand the historicDuke Mansion.

It also regularly hosts musical events, author talks, and themed family days.

Wild horses on the beach on the island of Shackleford Banks, North Carolina

Frank Staub/Getty Images

Explore lovely Salem Lake by kayak or bike along the seven-mile loop path.

In town, visit theOld Salem Museums and Gardens.

Try the decadent sugar cake and the super-thin Moravian sugar cookies.

Beach Houses in the Outer Banks -

DoxaDigital/Getty Images

The up-and-coming foodie scene offers everything from classic Carolina barbecue and seafood atSaltbox Seafood Jointto modern Ethiopian cuisine atGoorsha.

International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro

Located inside the former F.W.

Its been the filming location for several famous movies as well, including Last of the Mohicans.

Colorful autumn colors on mountains at Pisgah National Forest -

Juan Silva/Getty Images

daytime view of the skyline of Asheville

S. Greg Panosian/Getty Images

Brevard North Carolina Looking Glass Waterfall near Asheville with Fall Colors in Pisgah National Forest on Blue Ridge Parkway

Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

Courtesy of Visit NC

Raleigh, North Carolina, USA State Capitol Building.

Sean Pavone/Getty Images

Inside the North Carolina Museum of History

Courtesy of North Carolina Museum of History

Aerial over the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the spring.

Ryan Herron/Getty Images

Drone Aerial of Downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, NC, USA Skyline.

Kruck20Getty Images

Informational displays line of the walls at the LGBTQ exhibition at the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte, N.C

T. Ortega Gaines/Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Blue Ridge Parkway Scenic Mountains Overlook Summer Landscape Asheville NC at Craggy Gardens in WNC

WerksMedia/Getty Images

From the gentle river to the top of the falls where the water works its way through the chasms and finally to its exit on the rock face. The leaves on the surrounding trees bright with Fall colors. A meandering trail leads to the base of the waterfall.